Dogsledding in Greenland

Experience the white world

Drive silently away with the sled dogs in a majestic landscape. A dog sledding trip in Greenland is a unique experience you will never forget. At the same time, there is something very fascinating about experiencing Greenland's magnificent nature from a dog sled, which can not be compared to skiing and snowboarding. The cold bites a little in the nostrils, but what does that mean for an unforgettable experience? The driver of the dog sled is in control of all the tails that are directed at his command. The passenger can safely sit back and use all their senses to just be present and enjoy the magnificent Greenlandic nature.

Dogsledding trips in Greenland

If you want an experience of a lifetime, and try a dog sledding trip, then you should travel to Greenland during the winter months. It is at this time of year that you can experience the magnificent Greenland from the most authentic side, which is a dog sled. A dog sledding trip takes you around the country in a completely unique way, and as an extra experience, it is also during these months that you have the greatest chance of seeing the northern lights.

Dogsled trips can be booked lasting from a few hours to several days with overnight stops in huts and tents. Everything is prepared – from food to elegant and warm clothing. Only you and your adventurous spirit set the limits for your dogsledding journey.

Dog sledding in Greenland: An important cultural heritage

The dog sled is an important part of Greenland's cultural heritage and history. For more than 4,000 years, Greenlanders have ridden dog sleds to hunt, transport and survive in the Arctic climate. Today, there are fewer Greenlanders who use the dog sled for fishing or hunting. Over the past 20 years, there has been more than a halving of Greenlandic sled dogs, as means of transport such as the snowmobile have replaced the dog sled to a greater extent. Instead, the dog sled has increasingly become a leisure activity and tourist attraction that brings together both locals and tourists. For example, you can experience dog sledding in Sisimiut, Ilulissat and Kangerlussuaq.

Dogsledding in Ilulissat

Among other things, we can recommend a two-day dogsled trip to the dead glacier. The trip runs from Ilulissat, out over Akinnaq to Nallurasuk, from where there’s a view of the glacier. The sled then flies over the thick ice between the icebergs. Need we say more?

Book a flight to Ilulissat here

Dogsledding in Kangerlussuaq or Sisimiut

If you want to experience expedition-like trips, choose for example the trip between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut. The trip lasts three days and you’ll stay overnight in tents and huts used by hunters. As part of the team, you have to help make food, load up the sled and feed the dogs.

If you arrive in Disko Bay in late summer, there’s also a chance to take a sled trip in the light of the midnight sun. The trip takes you out to the Lyngmark glacier, from where there’s an unrivalled view of the whole of Disko Bay.

There’s no better way of experiencing Greenland than by riding a dogsled with the snow crunching under the runners and with 12 eager dogs straining at the leash – a means of transport that hunters and fishermen have used for centuries and still use when snow and ice cover the landscape.

Book flights to Kangerlussuaq here

DID YOU KNOW

Trips with dogsleds can begin from the moment the first snow has fallen and ice has covered fjords and lakes.

Sled dogs are only found north of the Arctic Circle and in East Greenland.

The design of the sled depends on whether it’s to be used for running on ice, over the fells or in deep snow.

For more than 1,000 years the physical and mental state of the dogs has been developed such that today they are one of the strongest species of working dog in the world.

If the driver says “ili, ili, ili”, the team of dogs will turn right, whilst if the driver says “iu, iu, iu” they will change direction and turn to the left.

Remember sun cream with a high protection factor. The sun and reflections from the snow and ice are very strong.